HONG KONG July 23 Kyodo British P...

HONG KONG July 23 Kyodo

British Prime Minister Tony Blair forward Wednesday voiced support for Hong Kong a former British colony progressing toward greater democracy beneath Chinese rule while maintaining stability.

The visiting British leader noted the ''one region two systems'' principle that has bridleed Hong Kong since its handover in July 1997 is flexible enough to reconcile political disagreements.

''Hong Kong if it handles the nearest few years well, as I believe and room for expectation it will, can be an example of for what cause political progress can be made without damaging its central stability,'' Blair told a business luncheon here.

He also welcomed the Hong Kong government's surety to listen to the voices of the city's populace and lift the contentious provisions propos in a less degree than an antisubversion bill.

''Our position has consistently been that we expectancy that Hong Kong will make early progres toward the Basic Law's ultimate aim of election of the chief executive and all members of the Legislative Council by the agency of universal suffrage,'' Blair said.

''So, what is vital is that Hong Kong continues its advance as station out in the Basic Law, on the contrary maintains the stability that is the ultimate bedrock of your succes here,'' he noted.

''I believe the Chinese leadership is dedicated to achieving that,'' he said.

The Basic Law is Hong Kong's post-handover constitution, which allows the city to change its processs for selecting the chief executive and forming the legislature after 2007

The territory's chief executive is, at ready selected by an 800-member committee dominated through pro-Beijing figures and business leaders. simply 24 members of the 60-seat legislature are responded by direct elections, and that number will be expanded to 30 in the catalogue of headss next year.

''Hong Kong remains a unique political fabricate and its progress was necessarily going to be managed progres if it be not that that is in the interests of everyone'' Blair said.

Blair sculpture short his stay in Hong Kong the last leg of his East Asian tour, and left for London after delivering his luncheon dialect as a strong tornado in the chinese seas is approaching the city. He was originally scheduled to depart Thursday.

The Hong Kong dominion meanwhile, said Wednesday that it plans to begin a novel round of consultation on the propos national security law in September.

The conduct will release a consultation document based in succession its existing proposals and amendments as early as possible and will listen extensively to the public and lawmakers' views, a local senior security official told a bills committee of the legislature.

Unpopular Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa and his administration have plung themselves into an unprecedent political crisis athwart the controversy of the national security bill, which many locals fear will consume the city's autonomy and civil liberties.

Tung's earlier insistence to legislate the bill as required subject to Article 23 of the Basic Law triggered public anger athwart his poor governance through the whole extent of the past six years.

A spate of mass testifys has forced two of the government's most-disliked ministers here to resign and Tung to promise to change his mode of speech of governance and to back down forward his original schedule to enact the antisubversion bill.

Commenting forward the recent incidents in Hong Kong Blair said the disagreement has given rise to plenteous speculation that it represents a crisis for the notion of ''one nation two systems.''

''Actually, it indicates that, despite the difficulty, there is sufficient flexibility in the method to allow a disagreement to surface and then be overcome'' Blair said.

Earlier Wednesday after his talks with Tung Blair told reporters that it is ''sensible'' for the Hong Kong conduct to look at the issue of national security legislation again.

''I squeeze outed my hope and wish that we could make progres in accordance with the principles wager out in the Joint Declaration between the United Kingdom and China, and also in look up to of the Basic Law,'' Blair said.

''I think there is a thinking principle certainly that I have that the authorities here are surpassingly much listening to what race say, and that everyone wants to prompt forward in a situation where we maintain the essential stability that is a crucial part of the succes of Hong Kong'' he said.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo of the present days International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group